Mauricio Pochettino Insists He Wouldn't Trade Tottenham's Rapid Progress for Arsenal's Trophies

Mauricio Pochettino has insisted that he would not trade Tottenham's rapid progress for the trophies Arsenal have collected during his time at the club.

The Spurs manager has overseen a remarkable uprise in his side's form since his arrival at White Hart Lane in 2014, guiding the club from fifth to consecutive finishes in the top three in the Premier League. However, silverware has continue to evade Tottenham.

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Despite their huge strides and finishing above Arsenal for the first time in 22 years, Tottenham still having nothing to show for it in terms of silverware, whereas the Gunners have won the FA Cup on two occasions, within the same time period. 

However, speaking ahead of the north London derby the Spurs boss was adamant that he would not swap his recent record with Arsenal's, he said via ESPN: “No, no. Because Tottenham is Tottenham and Arsenal are in another stage of their project. I don’t care where they are. 

"After three and a half years I think we achieve a lot of things. I would like to achieve more – to be first and not second, and win cups rather than being runners-up – but we are in a different process, a different project.

“I admire all that Arsene Wenger has made at Arsenal, but we are at a different stage of the project. They’re different clubs, different philosophies. I’d never change for another, of course.

Pochettino has continued to stress that he values success in the Premier League and Champions League above other domestic competitions, as he added: “If we are focused on trying to win cups, I think that project is not useful for the club. 

"If we can win the FA Cup, the Carabao Cup, fantastic – but our principal objective is to win the Premier League and put Tottenham in a position to win the Champions League.

“You have the chance, because the draw is good – like at different big clubs – that you arrive at the final [of a domestic cup] and maybe you win. That has happened not only at Tottenham but at Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea.

“If you make a summary of the starting XIs of all the big clubs [in the cups], always they try to use the whole squad. Then you arrive, because the draw helps you, and you win.

“But you know better than me, the Premier League and Champions League is a massive challenge for the big clubs, and these types of trophy are the real trophies.

On his side's trip to the Emirates, he added: “It’s a massive game for us but we must assess the team in a long period. After nearly three and a half years the most important thing is we have a team that’s very competitive and can compete with Real Madrid. Then, for me, it’s a game."